Rolls-Royce Cullinan takes the magic carpet ride off-road

May 10, 2018

Carfection

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We've been knowing its coming for quite some time, but finally today the camouflage has come off and we're getting our first look at the Rolls Royce Cullinan.
We are here in Barkley Square at the Rolls Royce dealership where we're getting a slightly earlier look than everyone else at the car itself, and immediately what is apparent is how much of the Phantom is shinning through here.
This front end looks incredibly like the Phantom that we saw last year And drove it, and that's no bad thing.
Customers are obviously going to expect the Rolls Royce of SUVs, which has very much been the brief that Rolls Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos has been sending to the team to make.
The car itself is as you'd imagine.
It's a Rolls Royce, so it's absolutely massive.
Doesn't look relatively much larger than a big SUV that we've previously seen But it is huge.
Under the hood is is the same six and three-quarter liter V12, good for 653 break horsepower, and 627 pounds-feet of torque.
This is the first time Rolls Royce has produced an all wheel drive vehicle, so that power is going to be delivered to all four wheels.
From some of the preview videos that we've seen of the car being tested and it has really been tested to within an inch of its life, as you can see from the mirror which is behind us here, still caked in mud from [INAUDIBLE] just come down.
The car should capable of handling Pretty much every off-road terrain.
We won't know for certain how it rides and how that experience of the ultimate luxury will feel on mud, on gravel, up a mountain, in the desert, until we actually get to drive it, hopefully later this year.
But from everything, Rolls-Royce is saying, every effort has been made to make sure that the car can handle pretty much anything that's thrown at it.
An electronically regulated air suspension setup will allow the car to push all four wheels down for maximum traction in challenging driving conditions, as well as maintaining that legendary magic carpet ride out on the road.
Now, the interior is everything that we've come to expect from a Rolls Royce.
And closing the door yourself, obviously, is not the Rolls Royce way.
Because the car itself isn't that much bigger than the Phantom, the interior relatively feels a bit smaller, cuz it had to accommodate different aspects.
So Although it still feels the absolute highest level of plush, it doesn't have the same airy space that we saw in the Phantom, but still feels large enough to accommodate four adults comfortably.
We don't have the same gallery set up in the dash that we have in the Phantom.
Rather, a more functional robustness that lends itself to an SUV.
The higher driving position won't feel that much different from the Rolls Royce Phantom, which was already quite a chunky car with a high position.
But this, more than other Rolls Royce surely will be marketed at people as a car they want to drive themselves.
So this commandeering position, driving position high up on the road will feel very welcome.
What's the most significant thing on the interior for me is this one single button here.
Now where cars like a Range Rover will offer a multitude of modes including automatic settings for different off road things, snow, mud, descent, that kind of thing, Rolls Royce have simplified it down to one button.
Off road, meaning that the car will take care of everything.
There'll be optics looking forward to actually analyze the terrain to adapt the car.
To make sure that it is dealing with the obstacles ahead without troubling you.
It's almost trying to Provide some of the off-road chaffering for you even if you are driving yourself.
We've seen similar technology been used by Rolls Royce before with [UNKNOWN] being used to analyze the road ahead, select the appropriate gear to make sure that you're not troubled with such trivialities with picking which gear to drive in yourself.
We imagine SUVs to be of a certain kind of design and the platform seems to be similar first Regards but Rolls Royce is telling us how the cab is insulated from the rest of the car making it a true three bot vehicle.
At 206,660 kilograms it's slightly heavier than the Rolls Royce Phantom.
But in person it doesn't feel overly large for an SUV.
Overal the package has some imposing details but comes together in a more understated final result.
Where the Phantom is simply massive The Cullinan looks more proportionate.
Still with a substantial presence, but less of an intimidating stance for a SUV.
Like all good Rolls Royces, there's a party trick round the back.
Being Rolls Royce, you can have it made bespoke to whatever wish you want.
But this particular option was quite appealing to me.
So-called viewing platform, If you want to take your car to anything from your kid's sports day to watching the wildebeests on the savanna, you can now do that in comfort.
This is going to change tailgate parties forever.
Little table, there.
[SOUND] There you have it, the most expensive seat at the game you can possibly imagine.
The process will start at 210,000 pounds, about $335,000 US.
And we'll expect that to go steeply up as soon as you start to add anything but spoke to the car itself.
Now from what we know about luxury SUVs we can pretty much guarantee that this will sell in droves despite the high price tag.
I for one can't wait to actually try this thing out off road to see how it handles and how that ultimate luxury ride deals with some mud.